Set Fire to the Rain
by theicemenace
Summary: Team Sheppard is trapped offworld with no way to get home.


**A/N: **No Beta so all mistakes are mine.

~Sandy

**Set Fire to the Rain**

Around the Stargate, the planet looked just like a hundred others. Lush green fields stretched toward the horizon, dotted with bright flowers and bordered by groves of tall trees, but instead of a path leading toward a medieval-type village, a paved road showed evidence of the passage of motorized vehicles. There was little information in the Ancient database aside from a brief description. But this new information told Rodney that the inhabitants had evolved to where their technology was on a par with that of the Genii. After a scan of the atmosphere, he didn't see any indication that the people of this world had attained nuclear power. But then not all technologically advanced societies were like the Genii.

Team Sheppard stood in the center of the deserted town square staring up at the dark windows that looked out at them. Like the empty eye sockets of a skull, they seemed to be filled with ghosts from the past. The recent past. To Rodney it felt like the town had only been unoccupied for a short time. Still, it made him edgier than usual. "No one's here. Let's go."

Teyla flashed a brief glance of annoyance at him. "Where could they have gone?"

"Don't know." John shined the light of his P-90 into the windows of a couple of the shops then rejoined the others. "Let's go check out the police station and city hall. Maybe we can get the power on and McKay, you can download their database."

Ronon kicked at a wad of newspaper being pushed along the street by a light breeze. "They're gone. Do we always have to know _why?_"

"Uh, yeah. We do." Rodney tapped his tablet screen.

"Why?"

Turning away from Ronon, Rodney motioned for his team to follow. "For reasons that wouldn't interest you, Conan. The main power plant is left at the next street then about…three klicks. If I can get the power up and get access to a computer, I'll be able to hack into their government network and maybe find out where they've gone." The team weaved their way between ground vehicles that were this world's versions of cars, trucks and even a few motorcycles, abandoned in the street along with trash and other waste from an abandoned world.

John nodded. "Let's go."

Rodney stumbled to a halt. "Wait! Something's not right."

"What is it, Rodney?" Teyla, John and Ronon stiffened to alertness.

"I'm showing some seismic activity on the northern part of the continent."

John removed his aviators, his eyes scanning the sky. "How bad?"

"Three point four at most."

The Colonel grinned. "In LA, that wouldn't even get a mention on the news."

~~O~~

Once Rodney got the power on, John left Teyla to watch over him while he and Ronon checked out the area immediately surrounding the main computer room. Every office they searched had drawers open as if the occupants had left quickly taking only their most prized possessions. If he had to guess, John figured it would be the same when they got to the homes. Many of the desks had laptop ports also empty. The vending machines had been emptied as well. Everything reminded John of the technology from the mid-ninties.

He met Ronon in the lobby of the building and together they climbed the stairs to the second floor. They'd just separated when their radios crackled to life.

"_McKay to Sheppard._"

John's left hand activated his radio. "Go ahead."

"_Get down here. Now!_"

"On our way. Ronon!"

The big man appeared from the doorway of what had to be the men's room. "I heard." He pulled out his blaster and fired it up.

They took the stairs back to the computer room three at a time bursting into the room seconds later. All that greeted them was Teyla leaning over Rodney's shoulder while he beat a rapid tune on the keyboard.

"We should leave for the Stargate _now_." Teyla's words were clipped and uneasy.

"It's already too late. We're _stuck_ here."

"What's going on?" John asked as he lowered his weapon and came to Rodney's side.

The physicist spared just a glance over his shoulder before returning to work. "Oh good. You're just in time for the latest episode of 'Atlantis, we have a problem'." He spun the chair to face his team. "Those tremors I mentioned? They are just the beginning. There are fissures in the planet's crust that are getting bigger with each successive tremor. Apparently, the one I registered when we first arrived was just a small vibration in comparison to what's coming."

"So we double time it back to the Stargate."

Rodney huffed and turned back to the computer. "As I've already stated, it is _too late!_ The tremors have already turned into full-fledged quakes that will increase exponentially until the planet's crust is cracked into so many pieces there will be no continent that is untouched. There is nowhere on this planet that is _safe_. This, incidentally, is why the inhabitants left."

"Another super volcano?"

"This will make what happened on Taranis seem like a walk in the park in springtime due to the toxic gases that are being spewed into the air." Craning his neck, Rodney looked around the room seeing nothing but the computers, desks, chairs and window. "And look! We are short exactly _one_ Aurora-class space ship in which to make our daring, last-second escape."

Looking only mildly chastised, John looked over Rodney's shoulder. The physicist had connected his tablet to the computer and line after line scrolled across the screen so fast the human eye couldn't comprehend the information being downloaded. "We've been here for three hours. We'll be overdue in seven. All we gotta do is wait until Atlantis calls and request a pick-up."

"As much fun as that sounds," Rodney's tone indicated that he didn't think it would be fun at all, "no. This planet has an unusual atmosphere in that it has occasional but very intense lightning storms. The gases that are accumulating will continue to build, mixing with the volcanic ash and when the storm hits, it will set fire to the rain and will take out every last thing still living. That's assuming of course that there is anything left alive at that time. One more extinction-level event. What's this, our fifth or sixth? I keep losing count."

Ignoring Rodney's outburst, John set his mind to working out the logistics of their dilemma. "Ronon, you and I are gonna check out the basement. See if there's someplace …"

"…to _hide?_" Rodney quipped.

"Take _refuge_," John stated firmly, "until Atlantis can send a team for us."

"Now why didn't _I_ think of that? Oh, wait. I _did_. But by the time they get here, we will have perished in a blaze the likes of which none of have seen since…"

"…since you blew up that solar system?"

Rodney ducked his head in embarrassment and turned back to the computer. "I thought we'd agreed not to mention that again."

"_You_ agreed. I just didn't disagree." John gripped Rodney's shoulder. "We _are_ gonna find a way out of this."

"And by 'we' you mean 'me'?"

"Yeah."

"It's always _me_." Rodney huffed loudly. "_Fine_. I'll see what I can do and you go…look for a place to hide."

John started to correct his teammate then thought better of it when Teyla touched him on the arm and shook her head. "Chewy, with me. Teyla, you're still with McKay."

"Of course, John." As if their decision was the stimulus that drove nature, a quake rolled through the area causing them to stumble, Teyla clutching the edge of the desk for support.

"I'd just like to mention that you need to hurry!" Rodney's voice betrayed his fear, but Teyla also knew it would also motivate him to make haste as well.

~~O~~

While Rodney worked, Teyla roamed from window to window looking for signs that the foretold apocalypse was on its way. She rolled her eyes at herself and kept watch toward the north where Rodney indicated that the tremors had started. There at the very edge of the desert-like horizon, a gray cloud swelled and roiled growing substantially the longer she watched. "Rodney!"

He came to her side, one hand already on his radio. "Sheppard! I hope you found us some place to hide, 'cause we're gonna need it!"

A crackle preceded John's response. "_There's an old fallout shelter here in the basement! You and Teyla get down here!_"

"We are on our way, John!" Rodney had already disconnected his tablet from the mainframe. He picked up his weapon as Teyla hooked his backpack over one shoulder then pushed him in the direction of the stairs. "Go-go-go!"

"Going!"

At the bottom of a long flight of stairs a thick metal door stood ajar. Rodney pushed her through and together they slammed the door and spun the lock. A hissing reached them and Teyla's ears popped as the pressure equalized. They headed for the bunker at the far end as the building began to shake. The previous quakes were small in comparison to this one. Rodney stumbled but before Teyla could help him up, Ronon was there lending his strength.

John stood in the bunker's doorway waving them inside. The metal of this door was of a different color and texture than the last one though Teyla didn't stop to examine it. There would be time for that later, hopefully.

The thunderous sound of the power plant falling down on top of their refuge hurt her ears. Rodney and John covered their ears as well though Ronon endured the assault. Something big hit the door, and Teyla was relieved that it held. After what seemed like minutes but could only have been seconds, the shaking stopped.

After exchanging troubled glances, John and Ronon went to the door and tried to open it. The heavy metal wouldn't budge. A moment later the lights and environmental systems went out. "We're trapped."

~~O~~

Pretending not to, Chuck watched Woolsey pace from one end of Ops to the other. Tension flowed from everyone, especially Evan Lorne. The military man didn't pace nor did his expression give anything away, but Chuck felt it just the same. Sheppard's team had missed their check-ins and was overdue to return.

When the clock reached the one-hour mark, Woolsey and Evan moved to Chuck's side. He didn't need to be told what to do. He dialed the 'gate, the wormhole engaged, Chuck touched the console in a specific sequence then nodded.

"Atlantis to Colonel Sheppard." Woolsey paused to give his people time to respond. "Anyone on this frequency, please respond."

"…pard…Earth…kes…trapped undergr…wer plant…side the…ty…send…scue…hurry…not much…" The transmission ended in a burst of static making them wince.

"Get them back."

Chuck nodded and went to work, but after five minutes Evan told him to stop.

Evan tapped his headset, "Coughlin, Reed, Scully and a medical team to the Jumper Bay ASAP. We're takin' a trip."

With practiced ease, Chuck fielded the responses as Evan headed for the armory.

~~O~~

Shrugging into his TAC vest, Evan zipped the front as he put his emotions behind the wall he'd erected in his brain for just such events, refusing to entertain the prospect that they might not be in time to rescue their people. He picked up his P-90, snapped it to the safety strap and led the way. At the door, Radek stopped him.

"Colonel Lorne…"

"Not now, doc. Our people are in danger."

Radek followed the fast-moving soldiers, his tone impatient, urgent. "Yes, yes. But that is why I am here. Rodney and I have been working on upgrading the Jumpers."

"Yeah. So?"

"We have not had a chance to test the upgrades so this will be the maiden flight of the prototype."

Evan shook his head. "_Not_ the time, doc. Don't want anything to go wrong during this op."

"But that is just the reason you should take this specific Jumper." Turning the tablet so that Evan could see the screen, he called up the specs.

"Listen up! We're taking Jumper Seven and Dr. Zelenka's coming with us."

"Me? But…"

A grin that held no humor was turned on the Czech. "We need _you_ in case something goes wrong." Evan wrapped a strong hand around Radek's upper arm pulling him along.

They reached the Jumper Bay, Evan rushing to the pilot's chair and powering up before everyone could find a seat. Reed slipped into shotgun as the hatch sealed. The automatic systems lowered the Jumper into the Gate Room and they shot through the active wormhole.

~~O~~

The emergency lights glowed weakly on the four friends sitting or lying in various attitudes of rest. All but Rodney. He continued to work at his computer, constantly scanning and muttering to himself about the sensitivity of his skin and how they were all going to die of suffocation instead of burning to death on the surface.

John wanted to slap him on the back of the head but didn't waste what little energy they had left. If rescue didn't come soon, it wouldn't matter and he refused to spend his remaining time fighting with his best friend.

A wave of fatigue passed through him joining the headache, shortness of breath, nausea and euphoria that were the first signs of hypoxia. Teyla had closed her eyes though he could see the shallow rise and fall of her breathing. The same with Ronon. Rodney finally put his computer aside and took a seat on the floor next to Teyla, his chin resting on his chest as he lost consciousness.

How the physicist had outlasted Ronon and Teyla, John didn't know, nor did he care because he was on the verge of passing out too. He rolled to his hands and knees. He wanted to stand so he could pace, anything to stay awake. But now it felt like a heavy weight had settled on his chest making it even harder to breathe. He collapsed, sprawling face down in the middle of the floor and just as he lost consciousness, he thought he heard a familiar voice calling his name.

~~O~~

"No response, sir." Reed turned an expression of uneasiness on Evan.

"Do it, doc!"

"Everyone, please stand back." Radek tapped the computer screen in a certain sequence, a whine filled the rear compartment of the Jumper and four unconscious forms appeared. Pushing past the soldiers, the medical team surged forward and it wasn't long before John, Ronon, Rodney and Teyla were groaning and trying to sit up.

An oxygen mask covering his mouth and nose, John's eyes met Evan's. The men shared a nod then Evan faced forward to concentrate on flying.

Rodney pulled the mask from his face, struggling to speak. Radek leaned down to better hear what his friend was saying, his eyes going wide in alarm. "Colonel Lorne!"

Evan brought up the HUD. "Oh, crap!" Behind them a lightning storm flashed and sparked in the air, balls of flame blossoming in the sky. Faster and faster they came until the entire sky was filled, coming closer with each second. "Reed, dial the 'gate as soon as we're in range. This is gonna be close."

Reed dialed Atlantis and Jumper Seven shot into the wormhole barely ahead of a loud explosion. He glanced at the screen just in time to see everything engulfed in flames that made it appear as if the rain itself were on fire.

The Jumper came to an abrupt halt in the Gate Room. Evan tapped the comm. "Shield!"

The center of the Stargate flashed when a fireball impacted the shield. As the Jumper was lifted into the Bay, Evan silently thanked God for Chuck's quick reflexes.

~~O~~

Casting a furtive look around and seeing no one paying him any attention, John slipped the oxygen mask off and swung his legs over the side. His feet had just touched the floor when the privacy curtain was pulled back to show the scowling face of Amanda Cole.

"_Where_ do you think you're going, Colonel?"

Chagrined, John got back into bed. "Nowhere."

Amanda pulled the sheet up over him tucking it across his chest then checking the monitor leads on his chest and temples. "You're recovering from hypoxia. You and your team will be spending the night here so get used to it."

John crossed his arms stubbornly but didn't respond so she walked away just as Evan entered the Infirmary. "Lorne."

"Colonel. How you feeling?"

"I've been worse. Thanks for the rescue."

Evan shrugged away the gratitude. "It was Zelenka's transporter upgrade that did the trick. Pity it burned out after one use."

"That's because it was drawing too much _power_. The circuits couldn't handle the load," Rodney interrupted. "We'll have to work out the kinks before we try it again. I _told_ Zelenka it wasn't ready for live testing."

"It was ready enough to save _your_ sorry ass, McKay," John countered.

Chuckling, Evan clasped his hands behind his back. "I'm gonna get out of here and let you rest, sir."

"How about helping me escape instead?"

"Can't do it, sir. The thought of what Dr. Cole might do scares me more than a court-martial, so…" He shrugged, backed up and made his way out of the Infirmary.

John watched as Jennifer fussed over Rodney. The next bed down Ronon was talking quietly with Amelia Banks while on John's other side, Teyla and her son colored in a coloring book with Kanaan looking on. The chair next to his bed stayed empty. He was the only one who didn't have someone who cared enough to sit by his side and worry about him. Envy crept in and just as he always did, he pushed it away. He liked being alone, preferred it even. At least that's what he told himself every night in his lonely room just before he went to sleep.

A nurse brought his dinner and when he was done, he took his PDA from the bedside table and called up the game he'd been playing.

The next morning, John opened his eyes to a sight he hadn't expected to see. The chair that had been empty when he'd gone to sleep was occupied. Amanda Cole was sleeping with her head on the side of his bed, her head pillowed on her arms.

A soft footstep had him pressing a finger to his lips for quiet as Ronon, Rodney and Teyla came to his side. They didn't say anything, just enjoyed the silence of one friend comforting another.

In that moment, John realized that he wasn't alone. Not anymore.

**End**

**A/N: ** "Set Fire to the Rain" is a song by British singer-songwriter Adele from her second studio album _21_. Written by Adele and Fraser T. Smith, and produced by Smith.


End file.
